Cable ONE Drives TiVo/Netflix Combo

Cable ONE said it has inked a deal that will enable its customers to access Netflix directly through TiVo-powered HD-DVRs that it leases to subscribers.

Cable ONE, which announced its original agreement with TiVo in 2012, has deployed its TiVo option in all markets except for Rio Rancho, N.M., which is expected to offer it this fall, a company official confirmed. Cable ONE serves more than 720,000 customers in 19 states.

According to its web materials, Cable ONE presently offers the TiVo Premiere Q DVR, a four-tuner HD-DVR for $15 per month, alongside the TiVo Mini (an IP-only device that feeds off of the primary device) for $7 per month, and the TiVo Stream (a video transcoder for multiscreen support) for $10 per month.

Cable ONE announced in April that it was a member of Open Connect, a private content delivery network program managed by Netflix that relies on edge caching appliances. In Netflix's "ISP Speed Index" for June 2014, Cable One was ranked 20th among measured U.S. providers, delivering an average Netflix stream of 2.82 Mbps. Cable ONE has also achieved “HD Verified” status from Google’s YouTube, meaning it has consistently delivered HD video (at least 720p) without buffering or interruptions.

The addition of Netflix to Cable ONE’s leased TiVo platform gives those subs direct access to the subscription-based video service, which features original series such as House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black.

Other U.S. TiVo cable operator partners that have integrated Netflix include Atlantic Broadband, Grande Communications, Suddenlink Communications, RCN Corp., Midcontinent Communications, and GCI. Google Fiber -- which currently offers broadband and pay TV services in parts of Kansas City and Provo, Utah, and is preparing to offer services in Austin, Texas -- allows its subscribers to link their Netflix accounts to the Google Fiber TV box, according to this customer information page.

Across the pond, Virgin Media and Com Hem offer Netflix on leased boxes powered by TiVo. Waoo!, a Danish service operator, has tied the Netflix app to AirTies-made boxes run middleware from Nordija.